Announcement
October 27, 2011
Columbia University’s Global Health Research Center of Central Asia Collaborates with Nazarbayev University to examine Environmental and Genetic Vulnerabilities Contributing to the Tuberculosis Burden in Kazakhstan
The Global Health Research Center of Central Asia (GHRCCA) at the Columbia University School of Social Work (CUSSW), jointly with Nazarbayev University (NU) in Kazakhstan, has recently received a research grant award funded by the Ministry of Education and Science in Kazakhstan. Nazarbayev University and Columbia University School of Social Work (CUSSW) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance collaboration in the Spring of 2010. This multi-discipline project includes Columbia University partners, the Department of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health, and the Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons.
The four-year study is designed to determine socioeconomic, environmental, and genetic risk factors for transmission of Tuberculosis (TB) in three Kazakhstani oblasts: Almaty, Kostanay, and Kyzylorda. The study will involve multiple methods and components. A case-control study of TB-positive individuals is complemented by both a household cohort study and a genetic, family-based sub-study of risk determinants. In addition, genotyping of M.Tuberculosis strains and their susceptibility to anti-TB drugs will form the last component of the study. Data will be mapped in GIS to reveal the distribution of cases and strain types across the regions. Despite significant improvements in TB control in recent years, Kazakhstan still faces challenges including the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains. While incarcerated individuals in Kazakhstan’s penitentiary system, in particular, suffer from higher incidence and increased drug-resistance than those in the general population, the most salient risk factors for TB in Kazakhstan are undetermined at present.
Faculty and researchers are leading the multidisciplinary study. The investigative team includes: Dr. Assel Terlikbayeva, Regional Director of GHRCCA in Almaty, Kazakhstan; Dr. Nabila El-Bassel, Director of the GHRCCA and Professor at the CUSSW; Dr. Sandro Galea, Chair, Department of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health; Neil Schluger, Chief, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, Professor of Medicine, Epidemiology and Environmental Health Sciences, College of Physicians and Surgeons; Dr. Ali Gharavi , Associate Professor of Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons, and Dr. Barry Kreiswirth, Director, TB Center, Public Health Research Institute, Newark, New Jersey. Scientists from Kazakhstan will also lead the study, including those from the Kazakhstani National TB Center, National Institute of Geography, and National Association of TB specialists.
Dr. Assel Terlikbayeva who will oversee the implementation of the research said, “The findings from this study will have very important TB research, prevention, treatment and policy implications not only for Kazakhstan, but for the whole Central Asian region. It is a complex TB study that will bring together multidisciplinary scientists from CU and Kazakhstan to study this serious health problem affecting our region.” Dr. El-Bassel said “This research is a model of how to bring scientists from different disciplines together to collaboratively study a universal, widespread biomedical problem such as TB. This type of research underscores CU’s commitment to a global mission, and through our university’s global focus, we have been able to recruit the most brilliant, dedicated researchers to our study team.”
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About CUSSW (www.socialwork.columbia.edu)
For 112 years, the Columbia University School of Social Work has been a leader in the education of professionals for careers in practice, policy, and administration. Located in New York City, the School offers a master’s and a doctoral program which are nationally and internationally recognized for their excellence. With a signature curriculum that features multidisciplinary courses taught by leading scholars and practitioners and rich field education, CUSSW continues to be at the forefront of clinical and community practice, social policy, and social enterprise administration education, research and innovation in the 21st Century.
About GHRCCA (http://ghrcca.columbia.edu)
Established in 2007, the Columbia University Global Health Research Center of Central Asia (GHRCCA) is a multi-disciplinary research Center designed to develop and scale up sustainable solutions to address emerging health and social challenges in Central Asia and Mongolia. The Center’s work is focused in four core activity areas: Research, Education, Training, and Policy & Dissemination. Through multi-disciplinary partnerships at Columbia University, in the US and the Central Asian region, GHRCCA is conducting research, advancing solutions and developing scientific capacity and infrastructure in Central Asia.
About MSPH (http://www.mailman.columbia.edu/academic-departments/epidemiology)
Since 1922, the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health (MSPH) at has been at the forefront of public health research, education, and community collaboration. The Department of Epidemiology of the Mailman School of Public Health combines rigorous methodology and a multidisciplinary perspective to address the causes and consequences of disease at the population level.
About CUMC (http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/)
Home to four schools (College of Physicians & Surgeons, College of Dental Medicine, School of Nursing, and Mailman School of Public Health), Columbia University Medical Center engages in training, research, and patient care. Its north Manhattan campus is a locus of innovative scientific research towards combating disease and improving human health.
About NU (http://eng.nu.edu.kz/)
Established in 2010, Nazarbayev University is located in Astana, Kazakhstan. With its many international partnerships, NU aims to develop a Kazakhstani center of higher learning and excellence in research.
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